Tapioca Express Kiosk Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Tapioca Express Kiosk franchise requires a total initial investment of $154K – $352K, including a $25K franchise fee and an ongoing 4.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD on file does not yield a unit-revenue figure we can publish. FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $154K – $352K
- 13th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 0 outlets
- Royalty
- 4.0%
- 3rd pct Service Resta…
- Units
- N/A
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Quick-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Quick-Service Restaurants avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $154K – $352K including a $25K franchise fee, 4.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 19 reports Gross Sales split into Top Half / Bottom Half of Operational Franchise Outlets (2025 Reporting Period, 15 outlets) rather than a single blended average: Top Half avg $1,157,936 (median $919,952, high $3,267,476, low $576,391); Bottom Half avg $324,124 (median $295,263, high $467,844, low $240,000). Company Owned Outlets (2 units) similarly split: Top Half $552,395; Bottom Half $268,053. No single system-wide average or net income figure is disclosed, so avg_gross_sales/avg_net_income are left null to avoid mixing cohorts.
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 39/100 (higher is better).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Tapioca Express, Inc.
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Cheng Wei Lin
- Incorporated in
- California
- HQ
- 1908 Central Avenue, South El Monte, California 91733
- Auditor
- Yeh & Associates
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $1.7M
- vs $1.7M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Cheng Wei Lin
- Headquarters
- California
- Founded
- 1999
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 3
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 62% below the typical quick-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $25K | $25K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $18K | $26K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $111K | $301K |
| Total initial investment | $154K | $352K |
Source: Tapioca Express Kiosk 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $154K – $352K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $18K – $26K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $25K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 4.0%
- typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 0.5%
- typical 3–5%
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 4.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 0.5% |
| Technology fee | $500 |
| Renewal fee | $3K |
| Inventory (initial) | $10K – $20K |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
No Item 19 revenue figure for Tapioca Express Kiosk is on file. The return models need a revenue figure to start from, and the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit are in no FDD. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions — nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Tapioca Express Kiosk unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for annual revenue, COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
Item 19 reports Gross Sales split into Top Half / Bottom Half of Operational Franchise Outlets (2025 Reporting Period, 15 outlets) rather than a single blended average: Top Half avg $1,157,936 (median $919,952, high $3,267,476, low $576,391); Bottom Half avg $324,124 (median $295,263, high $467,844, low $240,000). Company Owned Outlets (2 units) similarly split: Top Half $552,395; Bottom Half $268,053. No single system-wide average or net income figure is disclosed, so avg_gross_sales/avg_net_income are left null to avoid mixing cohorts.
Item 19 · by group
What the filing does disclose
Item 19 of this FDD reports performance in more than one group. We publish no single average for this brand; the groups the filing does disclose are listed below, quoted from its own Item 19 table.
Each row below is quoted from the FDD's own Item 19 table. Gross sales are not profit.
0 outletsItem 19 detail
Item 19 reports Gross Sales split into Top Half / Bottom Half of Operational Franchise Outlets (2025 Reporting Period, 15 outlets) rather than a single blended average: Top Half avg $1,157,936 (median $919,952, high $3,267,476, low $576,391); Bottom Half avg $324,124 (median $295,263, high $467,844, low $240,000). Company Owned Outlets (2 units) similarly split: Top Half $552,395; Bottom Half $268,053. No single system-wide average or net income figure is disclosed, so avg_gross_sales/avg_net_income are left null to avoid mixing cohorts.
franchised top half
| Segment | Sample | Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Franchise Outlets - Top Half | 7 | $1.2M |
franchised bottom half
| Segment | Sample | Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Franchise Outlets - Bottom Half | 8 | $324K |
company owned top half
| Segment | Sample | Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Company Owned Outlets - Top Half | 1 | $552K |
company owned bottom half
| Segment | Sample | Avg |
|---|---|---|
| Company Owned Outlets - Bottom Half | 1 | $268K |
vs Quick-Service Restaurants averages
How Tapioca Express Kiosk Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- N/A
- Opened
- N/A
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- N/A
- Turnover rate
- 76.9%
- % franchised
- 1%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 0
- Closed (3yr)
- 5
- Terminated (3yr)
- 4
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 1
- Transfers (3yr)
- 2
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
No multi-year history disclosed and no opening/closing activity in the last reporting year.
Item 12 · 3 states reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
3
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Yeh & Associates
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 4.5% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 0.5 mi |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 2 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Los Angeles County, California |
| Governing law | California |
| Litigation count | 0 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- On-the-job training
- 54 hrs
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Site selection
- franchisee_with_franchisor_approval
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Clover and Snackpass
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Clover and Snackpass
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Tapioca Express Kiosk franchise?
The total investment to open a Tapioca Express Kiosk franchise ranges from $154K – $352K, with an initial franchise fee of $25K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Tapioca Express Kiosk franchise owners earn?
No average owner earnings figure for Tapioca Express Kiosk is on file. Item 19 — where a franchisor may disclose what its outlets earn — is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and we have not established what this brand's FDD says. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
What is Item 19 in the Tapioca Express Kiosk FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the Tapioca Express Kiosk FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Tapioca Express Kiosk's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Tapioca Express Kiosk (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
Is Tapioca Express Kiosk a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Tapioca Express Kiosk as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 39 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.